Crash Bandicoot: A Moment Like This
by Kitty17794
Summary: What happens when Cortex has another plan to kill Crash and Coco... and this time it almost works? [Status: PR]
1. The Beginning

The darkness engulfed her, the moonlight the only thing lighting her path. She stumbled through the woods clutching her cloak around her. The sound of angry voices and loud footsteps followed her. The ground gave way under her and she fell down into a raging river, down the waterfall. The mob following her stopped, laughing at her fate, then returned into the woods. 


	2. Love at first sight: rumor or truth?

Coco put her picnic basket down and spread out the red-checkered blanket. The sound of barking alerted her, and she picked it up quickly as four sets of muddy paws ran over the spot where it had been. She held it over Pura and Polar's heads. "Careful you two." she warned before putting down the blanket again. Pura and Polar splashed into the river.   
  
Crash stumbled through the trees into the clearing playing his gameboy. Just when he thought he was free of the trees, he ran smack into one. "I'm…. ok!" he exclaimed, falling over. Coco rolled her eyes opening the basket. Crash stood up and dusted himself down. He looked at Pura and Polar swimming in the river. "Whee!" he exclaimed, getting excited. He grabbed a vine hanging from a tree branch and swung into the river, sending a wave over Coco and the blanket. "CRASH!!!" Coco yelped, jumping up. "Uh oh.." Crash whimpered, diving underwater to escape Coco's wrath. Pura and Polar snickered, walking onto the bank.   
  
Coco opened her mouth to say something but stopped, her gaze resting on the riverbank. Crash popped up, out of breath and looked at his sister. Why wasn't she killing him? "Coco?" he asked. Coco snapped out of her trance. "Crash look!" She yelped, jumping up. She ran to the riverbank, kneeling beside something. Crash got out of the water and walked over to Coco. She was leaning over a bundle, it seemed. Coco moved the cloak a bit and gasped. It was a teenaged bandicoot, no older than Coco. Her brown hair was loose, floating in the water around her shoulders. Wisps of hair settled on her face. Crash was stunned. She was beautiful! But what happened to her?   
  
Coco was too busy to notice her brother's face. She was wiping blood and caked mud off the bandicoot's face. "She must have fallen down the waterfall..she couldn't have survived that" she murmured. "No!" Crash yelled. Coco jumped and looked at her brother at his sudden outburst. "Coco we have to try! Maybe she's alive." he begged. Coco looked at her brother dumbfounded. He never acted like this... She looked at the bandicoot maiden with sudden realization. Crash was in love. 


	3. She's Alive! Tara's Story

~~~~~~~  
  
Tara sat outside on the Bandicoot's front step. She contemplated her choices. She could go back home and live her old life, or stay here for the time being. And at the moment her second choice sounded much better. But…would they take her in?   
  
She didn't bother to turn her head when she heard Crash come to the doorway. "Will you let me stay here?" she asked quietly, startling Crash. He looked at her. "O-Of course we will." he said. She smiled and stood up. "Thanks." she said, giving him a quick hug as she walked by. Crash watched her walk into the house, and smiled dreamily.  
  
Coco sat on the couch, computer in hand. Pura was asleep next to her, and she was petting the tiger while typing on her computer. She was lost in thought. "Where'd she come from…and what's she hiding?" she asked herself. Pura only purred in reply. But Coco didn't notice. She was too wrapped up in her thoughts.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Tara sat on the bed in the room Coco had given her and looked out the window at the moon. 'Am I doing the right thing?' she asked herself. She knew who these bandicoots were, they were Crash and Coco Bandicoot, protectors of the world. She still had a chance to make things back home alright again…she could fix everything, and go back to her old way of life. But did she really want to go back?? She thought for a moment, then smiled. She could make things right again. And she would. She looked at her watch and pressed a button on it, turning on the speakerphone. "Boss? I found the bandicoots."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
Crash walked into the living room, sitting on a chair. Polar moved from his spot near the fireplace and sat at Crash's feet. Coco looked up from her computer. "Well?" she asked. Crash shrugged. "She seems nice enough…and she's gonna stay here for awhile." he replied turning on the tv. Coco shrugged, looking back at her computer. She knew better than to argue with her brother. Besides, she was curious now, and she DID seem like a nice person.  
  
The two bandicoots relaxed for awhile, Crash watching TV, and Coco doing research. Polar and Pura slept curled up to their masters. Rex sat on the floor playing with a ball. When Coco finally shut her laptop, Pura looked up and mewed. Coco patted him on the head, then stood up and looked at Crash. "I'm going to bed. Night" she said. He looked up at her. "Night Coco." he said. Coco smiled, then walked out. Pura followed.  
  
Crash sighed, considering going to bed, but he knew he couldn't fall asleep. He had too much on his mind. While his sister had thought he was watching TV, he had really been thinking. Something he didn't often do. He was thinking about Tara, and her story. Why wouldn't she tell them? Why would it get them in trouble? He'd have to beg her to tell tomorrow… but for now, he had to try to sleep. He turned off the tv and headed for his room after giving Rex and Polar a pat on the head. The two animals looked at each other, sensing the stress their master was feeling. 


	4. Endless Night

Coco lay in bed, looking at the ceiling, thoughts spinning around in her head. The soft purrs from Pura came from the foot of the bed. Was it just her, or did Tara look a little familiar? And why wouldn't she tell them anything? It bothered her to say the least, and she knew she wouldn't sleep well until she figured out who Tara was, and what she was hiding.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Tara sat on the edge of the bed, looking around the room. After giving her location to her boss, she had hung up and relaxed, knowing that now, surely they'd let her back in, and even give her a promotion. This was something no one else could ever do, and she did it. She wondered what was in store for her when she returned home.  
  
~~~~~~~  
  
Crash tried to sleep, but found that he couldn't. He was unaware that the others were awake also. He pulled a book from his shelf and glanced through it, finding it was the journal Coco had written before she had been reunited with him after her experience with the Cortex Vortex. He flipped a few pages in and started reading.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
Today Cortex brought in another bandicoot. He put her in the Cortex Vortex, and when he turned it off, she stepped out. She was probably my age, and she had long brown hair and brown eyes. Cortex was pleased with her, and took her away. I never saw her again, but I heard rumors from the other animals that she had started working with Cortex.  
  
Cortex also brought in a tiger today. The tiger didn't put up much resistance. Infact, he seemed rather…stupid. Cortex put him into the Vortex, and when he came out, you could tell indeed he was stupid. Cortex named him Tiny and put him to work as one of his minions.  
  
Who knows what Cortex plans to do with the rest of us. I don't care what happens to me though. I just gotta help the others escape.  
  
-Coco  
  
Crash thought about this entry. He had no idea who the bandicoot minion was. He'd never met him before. But he had met Tiny. Indeed, he was a little slow. He was entertaining though. He flipped to another page in the journal.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
We're free! A bandicoot named Crash, one of Cortex's failed experiments, came and set the place on fire when fighting N. Brio, Cortex's stooge. Then he took on Cortex at the top of the mountain. While this was occurring, I was helping the other animals get free. Cortex's minions tried to stop us, but they really had no will to fight, considering Crash had already whipped their butts once, and they didn't want to be whipped again.  
  
-Coco  
  
Crash turned to the last entry in the book.  
  
Dear Diary,  
  
You remember Crash? Well, I met him today to thank him for freeing us, and I found out he's my brother! We couldn't remember what had happened to us before the Vortex, but we found out from some of Cortex's old records from where he got the animals, that we had been found at the same place, and had been separated. Crash and I are going to live here on the island, and hopefully start our lives new.  
  
-Coco  
  
Crash shut the book and sighed, remembering all the things Coco had written about. It seemed like it was yesterday, even though it was several years ago. They had had plenty more encounters with Cortex and his minions, but never the brown haired bandicoot. He sighed, putting the book on his nightstand, then laid down in bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to sleep. 


End file.
